{"id":199789,"date":"2026-06-11T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=199789"},"modified":"2026-06-10T21:59:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T01:59:37","slug":"allen-graves-nba-draft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/06\/11\/allen-graves-nba-draft\/","title":{"rendered":"Allen Graves 2026 NBA Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Santa Clara Broncos forward <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/allen-graves-2.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Allen Graves<\/a> is one of the biggest risers in the 2026 NBA Draft. Freshmen prospects like <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/aj-dybantsa-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">AJ Dybantsa<\/a> and <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.sports-reference.com\/cbb\/players\/darryn-peterson-1.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Darryn Peterson<\/a> dominated the headlines for this draft class. However, Graves has demonstrated the talent and production to rank among the top freshmen like <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/03\/10\/aj-dybantsa-2026-nba-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Dybantsa<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/03\/02\/darryn-peterson-2026-nba-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_self\">Peterson<\/a>. The six-foot-eight forward has the skill set to be an elite 3-and-D wing for NBA teams at the next level while having the potential to be more. Let&#8217;s dive into an evaluation of Graves in this 2026 NBA Draft profile.<\/p>\n<h2>Allen Graves 2026 NBA Draft Profile<\/h2>\n<h3>College Career<\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"max-width: 800px\"><smartframe-embed class=\"smartframe_wp_element\" customer-id=\"3ec16c2e89be0acadd2b088db7a33eb9\" image-id=\"imbrHymRypt9\" style=\"width: 100%; display: inline-flex; max-width: 4040px; aspect-ratio: 4040\/2360;\" ><\/smartframe-embed><\/p>\n<p>For his lone collegiate season, Graves spent his freshman year with the Santa Clara Broncos after redshirting the entire 2024-2025 season. While he only started four games for Santa Clara, Graves played a pivot role off the bench for the Broncos. In that role, Graves proved himself to be a versatile defensive player who can also provide value on the offensive end. With his contributions, the Broncos made their first appearance at the NCAA Tournament since 1996 as a 10 seed, losing in the first round to the Kentucky Wildcats.<\/p>\n<p>On the season, Graves averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.9 steals in 22.6 minutes per game. He shot 51.2% from the field, 41.3% from three, and 75.0% from the free-throw line. For his incredible rookie season, Graves received an All-WCC first-team selection, made the WCC All-Freshman team, and was selected for the All-WCC Tournament award. He also won both the WCC Rookie of the Year award and the WCC Sixth Man of the Year award.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Allen Graves Season Highlights | 2026 NBA Draft Prospects\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7Wj0fFSJiRk?start=506&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3>Strengths<\/h3>\n<h4>Offense<\/h4>\n<p>Despite being more known for his defensive abilities, Graves has shown significant upside on the offensive end. He is a skilled and poised ball-handler for his size, using it to drive or work his way to the rim. Graves can use his size, physicality, and footwork to exploit mismatches against smaller or slower players in the post. He can use hooks and push shots to score over opposing players.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, he can operate at a high level as the screener in the pick-and-roll. Graves is great at rolling to the basket and making himself available for three beyond the arc. Graves also has great instincts as a cutter and offensive rebounder, where he had a 13.9% offensive rebounding rate. That sits at a highly impressive 99th percentile.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking of three-point shooting, Graves is an impressive shooter from three-point range. Specifically, Graves shot 41.3% on 2.6 attempts per game. While he is not someone who will go and create a three for himself, he is extremely effective as a spot-up shooter and pick-and-pop option. In fact, Graves averaged 1.19 points per those pick-and-pop possessions.<\/p>\n<p>A more under-discussed part of Graves&#8217; offensive game is his passing ability. While Graves only averaged 1.8 assists, and he isn&#8217;t someone who will be a primary initiator for his squad, he has demonstrated impressive court vision and passing skills. He has a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio, which sits at the 99th percentile. His passing ability highlights his basketball IQ and feel, as he is great at quickly making decisions and moving the ball to the right player. Furthermore, he rarely turns over the ball, having only averaged 0.7 turnovers per game.<\/p>\n<h4>Defense<\/h4>\n<p>The defensive end of the floor is Graves&#8217; calling card as a 2026 NBA Draft prospect. The six-foot-eight wing is a versatile defender who can cover multiple positions using his size, length, and basketball IQ. He is fully capable of switching onto the perimeter or defending opposing players in the paint.<\/p>\n<p>Where he really shines as a defender is as a defensive playmaker and team defender. He is easily one of the best defensive playmakers in the entire class, using his length and basketball IQ to generate steals and blocks at a high rate. In fact, he averaged a 4.9% steal rate and a 5.0% block rate, which are at the 100th and 86th percentile, respectively. He has a cerebral feel for rotating exactly where he needs to be to alter a shot or disrupt passing lanes.<\/p>\n<p>Even if he is not creating a steal or block, Graves&#8217; basketball IQ shines as he is excellent at serving as a backline defender who knows where the defensive holes he needs to plug. Even with his underwhelming quickness and athleticism, he can be utilized in various defensive roles and contexts, such as blitzing or hedging a ball-screen.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing of note for Graves is his rebounding. As mentioned before, he is a skilled offensive rebounder, but he is also an impactful defensive rebounder as well. He is great at boxing out and holding his own in the paint to battle on the boards.<\/p>\n<h3>Weaknesses<\/h3>\n<h4>Offense<\/h4>\n<p>Graves has shown multiple intriguing aspects to his offensive game, but there are things that he must improve upon. One area of concern for him is his underwhelming finishing ability. He only shot 63.3% around the rim, which is at the 44th percentile among forwards. His lack of athleticism makes him a largely below-the-rim finisher who struggles to finish over size. He must continue to improve his strength to better finish over bigger players in the paint.<\/p>\n<p>One thing that Graves can touch upon is increasing his volume from three and speeding up his shot. While he has a functional shooting form that allowed him to hit 41.3% from distance, it is on the slower side as he loads up on his shot. That could make it easier for NBA-level defenders to close out and contest his shot. Speeding up his shot will help him fire off his three-pointer over opposing defenders. Additionally, he can stand to be more aggressive from beyond the arc, only taking 2.6 three-point attempts per game.<\/p>\n<h4>Defense<\/h4>\n<p>While Graves is a true talent on the defensive end, he does have two areas to make note of and to clean up on. One thing that must be highlighted is that Graves isn&#8217;t the quickest or most athletic prospect around. With his underwhelming athleticism, he may have more limitations defensively against NBA-level athletes. In particular, Graves may have some difficulties defending in space against quicker NBA players.<\/p>\n<p>Graves also needs to clean up on his fouls, having averaged 3.1 fouls per game this season. In fact, he committed 5.3 fouls per 40 minutes, which sits at the 2nd percentile for his position. While some of his fouls may come from his aggressive defensive playmaking, Graves still needs to have better foul discipline.<\/p>\n<h3>NBA Comparison<\/h3>\n<p>One name that comes to mind as a comparison for Graves and his skill set is former two-time NBA champion <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/battish01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shane Battier<\/a>. They are both big wings that excel on the defensive end. They are both capable of defending across multiple positions, from guards to bigger forwards. Both players are also strong defensive playmakers who can generate steals and blocks at a high rate. Offensively, both Graves and Battier can provide solid floor spacing and off-ball cutting. In general, both players are high-IQ basketball players who provide two-way impact for their team.<\/p>\n<h3>2026 NBA Draft Projection<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2026\/05\/15\/2026-nba-mock-draft-6-0\/\" target=\"_self\">Late lottery to late first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Featured Image: <span>Jeff Curry-Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Santa Clara Broncos forward Allen Graves is one of the biggest risers in the 2026 NBA Draft. Freshmen prospects like AJ Dybantsa and Darryn Peterson dominated the headlines for this draft class. However, Graves has demonstrated the talent and production to rank among the top freshmen like Dybantsa and Peterson. The six-foot-eight forward has the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5121,"featured_media":199798,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,62,556],"tags":[49942,50481,1566,2867],"class_list":["post-199789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-nba","category-nba-draft","tag-2026-nba-draft","tag-allen-graves","tag-draft-profile","tag-santa-clara-broncos"],"modified_by":"Benjamin Yu","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5121"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=199789"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199789\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":199958,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/199789\/revisions\/199958"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/199798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=199789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=199789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=199789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}